Sunday, October 9, 2011

A sequel to "Funky Forest" to premiere at Hawaii International Film Festival? Kind of...

by Chris MaGee

The response to Katsuhito Ishii's "return to form" film "Smuggler" has been a bit underwhelming. Bland characters and some pretty grisly violence hasn't captured the imaginations of fans of such Ishii cult hits as "The Taste of Tea" and "Funky Forest: The First Contact". Fans of the latter film shouldn't despair too much though. According to Twitch one of the key acting and directing talents of "Funky Forest" returning to its hilarious and surreal territory.

Shunichiro Miki, who not only starred in "Funky Forest" (as well as Katsuhito Ishii's 2008 Hiroshi Shimizu remake "My Darling of the Mountains"), but who also shared directing and writing duties with Ishii and Hajime Ishimine has apparently been squirreling away his own money to make a very loose sequel to "Funky Forest" titled "The Warped Forest".

The film will be enjoying its international premiere at the 31st Hawaii International Film Festival, and it will bombarding the audience with images and scenarios from Miki's dream journal. That includes wood nymphs, a giant shop girl and a laser gun that shoots... well... watch the trailer below to see. We wish that Ishii had been involved, but we should count our blessings that this is coming our way regardless.